A Curriculum for ExcellenceActive learning

Marion BurnsHM Lead inspector

Early Years

National context

A Curriculum for Excellence sets out to enable children and young people to become; successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

The Ministerial Response to the Curriculum Review proposed: ‘Bringing the 3-5 and 5-14 guidelines together to ensure a smooth transition in what children have learned and also in how they learn. This will mean extending the approaches which are used in pre-school into the early years of primary, emphasising the importance of opportunities for children to learn through planned purposeful play.’

In Scotland we celebrate the diversity of our early educational settings.

Improving Scottish Educationkey strengths

• Staff/parent/children relationships

• Staff commitment and qualifications

• Learning environments

• Active learning, purposeful play

• Learning opportunities

Improving Scottish Educationareas for improvement

• Leadership

• Individual learner needs

• Staff engagement with children

• Use of information to promote progress

Leadership for learningIncreasingly, leadership is being viewed as a corporate concept which relates not only to the head of establishment but also the combined impact of all those who have responsibility for leading any aspect of provision for learners. The head is ultimately accountable in terms of the quality of education within the establishment and of the resulting progress made by learners. Leadership is therefore both individual and shared. Improving Scottish Education HMIE 2006

Leaders matter: exerting influence and making a difference

Leaders matter: Individual leaders who head up establishments or service do matter. Leaders are not just at the top of an organisation. The most effective organisations have strong leaders at every level’ Its about sharing leadership more widely; teamworking; distributive leadership; making a difference; thinking and acting in ‘leaderly ways’All staff have a role as leaders of learning in helping to bring about improvement for children. Many staff will already be practising active learning approaches while others may need to adjust their practice to meet children’s needs better.

Building the Curriculum: Active Learning in the Early Years

‘At its most productive, play is dynamic and is characterised by deep concentration, high energy and total involvement.’

Fabian 2002

‘Play and learning are not separate; play is part of learning and learning is part of play’

The Children’s Play Council.

‘Play brings together and connects different parts of the network of learning. It uses real first hand experiences, games with rules, representation, and helps

children reflect on and try out ideas, feelings and relationships. Play co-ordinates a child’s development and learning.’

Tina Bruce, 1996, Helping Young Children to Play.

Active learning or purposeful play?

What does purposeful play look like?

Take a few minutes to share with your group how you provide children with opportunities to learn through play.‘play is a remarkably elusive concept of fluctuating scientific popularity’ Burghardt, 1984

Active learningActive learning is learning which engages and challenges children’s thinking using real-life and imaginary situations. It takes full advantage of the opportunities for learning presented by;

•spontaneous play

•planned purposeful play

•investigating and exploring

•events and life experiences

•focussed learning and teaching

Active learning and the four capacities

Role of staff in active learning• Providing varied materials, space and time• Seeking intentions and acknowledging

choices and actions• Valuing children and allowing flexibility

and choice• Listening, encouraging thinking, talking• Independence and instruction, direction

and intervention

Active learning in practice

Developing a more active approach to learning requires attention to

•progression

•continuity

•the environment

•Involving parents

•CPD

Active learning in practice: a whole school approach

Knightswood Primary School

Active learning- workshop

Pupils from P1-3 Kirkcowan Primary School

And finally…

HMIE focus – discussion points• Quality of learning experiences and staff interaction with children.

• Meeting the needs of all children in the nursery and on transition into primary.

• Effective partnership working across the early stage.

• Continuity of how children learn in nursery and primary.

• Leadership of learning at the early stages and vision for developments and improvements.

• The part children/ pupils and their parents play in decisions about learning.

To boldly go where children have actively gone before….

HM Inspectorate of Education